THE policeman filmed hitting a newspaper seller just before he died at the G20 protests has had a suspected heart attack.

The officer, who has not been named, claims he did not realise he was the man who pushed Ian Tomlinson to the ground until he saw footage on Wednesday’s TV news. Badly shaken, he telephoned Scotland Yard chiefs to say he was the officer involved, then collapsed at his home.

The PC was taken to hospital in Sussex, where he was kept in overnight with a suspected heart attack but was released the next day.

The officer, who works for the Territorial Support Group who deal with riots and public order, was suspended on Thursday.

He faces a criminal investigation by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) following Mr Tomlinson’s death.